Perfect 10

We're at the 10 month mark and my orthodontist put a wire AND an elastic chain across the top left side of my teeth and another chain across almost all of my bottom teeth. This is all in an effort to move the entire lower string of teeth over to the left, and bring my top teeth towards the middle. It seems like a colossal task, quite frankly. But the fact that my doctor is always so very happy with my progress inspires confidence, and the fortitude to continue for another month.

The teeth hurt, but I'm used to this. It will be fine in a few days. I'm learning to push beyond the boundaries of discomfort lately--something I was never able to do before. I've started doing this with my running, and I am amazed to find a reserve of energy when I think I just can't move forward for one more step. It's not the same kind of energy--it comes from a different place, and has a different feeling--kind of like a backup generator. I never knew that this existed within me before, and I'm just starting to get acquainted with it. It feels somewhat magical to tap into.

I read this in O Magazine recently:

Find Comfort in Discomfort: "Remember it's supposed to hurt, you're supposed to feel sore," says Debbie Ford. She's not talking about just the physical aches and pains of the couch potato turned triathlon competitor, but also the mental and emotional uneasiness of the would-be CEO or aspiring artist. "Accept that you'll never get rid of self-doubt," Todd Kashdan says. "An adventurous person will always have moments of feeling like a fraud--it's a sign that you're creating new roles for yourself, that you're evolving. It means that you're doing great, passionate work."

I don't know if my running constitutes great, passionate work, but it is a new and uncertain role. I'm just as hesitant to call myself a blogger as I am to call myself a runner. It's just something I'm doing right now, rather than something I am basing my identity upon. I do believe in doing things right, getting the proper tools, and making it as pleasurable a pursuit as possible. (I'm still reading My Life In France by Julia Child--this sums up her approach to life to a "T". I find her so charmingly inspirational! And I might have to buy copper cooking pots in solidarity!) I signed up for a 10-week running class and I'm looking forward to meeting people who are interested as I am in trying out something new and going boldly where they haven't gone before.

My friend Kristin joined me for dinner tonight, at a restaurant appropriated called Alchemy. As I walked down my street to come home, I saw so many gorgeous fireflies, giving off their green glow in the sultry evening. It made me think of this quote:

"Fireflies signal here and there. The sky is a color of neither blue nor black, and there is nothing in it to be acknowledged beyond the occasional flicker of a star. Only just now, a longing like love bears upon the vast, clear indifference of this night." --N. Scott Momaday

It's good to be home from Ohio. I missed Kristin and the fireflies and the Chocolate Room for dessert. It was a perfect 10 of a way to be welcomed home.